Corn popping and vending machine



March 1936- J. F. PAGENDARM CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1955 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

W WMW fi i ATTORNEYi March 1936.

J. F. PAGENDARM 2,034,484

CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE 8 Sheets-s 2 .a h 51 L M w ATTORNEY March 17,1936.

CORN

J. F. PAGENDARM POPPING AND VENDING MQCHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1935 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 I u! a A Illllllllllll //A /ll llllil/IIIV Nn A l lllllllllllllllllll IV llllllgfunll INVENTOR a 1-1. LL J March 17, 1936. 'J ARM 2,034,484

CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE A TTORN S.

Mafch 17, 1936. J. PAGENDARM 2,034,484

CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1935 8 Shee'ts-Sheet 5 March 17, 1936. r J PAGENDARM 2,034,484

CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE Filed'Feb. 23, 1955 v 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fig.6.

IN V EN TOR.

ATTORN s.

March 17,1936.

J. F. PAGENDARM CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1955 7 8 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNE S.

March 17, 1936. J PAGENDARM 2,034,484

C ORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1955 a Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR.

Wwi ATTORN YS.

Patented Mar. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORN POPPING AND VENDING MACHINE John F. Pagendarm, Oakland, Calif.

Application February 23, 1935, Serial No. 7,826

9 Claims.

This invention relates to corn popping machines and particularly to a machine that will automatically PP and deliver a certain quantity of corn upon the deposit of a coin in the machine.

It is the object of the invention generally to improve upon machines of this character and to provide a machine that will through relatively simple mechanism perform all of the operations necessary to the popping, seasoning and delivering to the consumer a certain quantity of popped 'corn in a fresh and sanitary condition as well asfurnishing to a consumer a bag to receive the corn as it is discharged from the machine, all automatically upon the reception by the machine of a coin of the proper denomination. It is also within the object of the invention to provide means for insuring the delivery of a predetermined quantity of corn upon 20 each operation and means operable upon failure of this quantity being delivered to return the coin paid by the consumer and also to return any coins inadvertently placed in the machine while it is in operation.

Further objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent in the following speci- Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same showing the side of the machine opposite to that shown in Fig.1, and with parts shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section of the operating mechanism of the machine taken on line III-III of Fig. l, but showing the popper head in a vertical position.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view'taken on the line V-V of Fig. 3.

) Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line VI-VI of Fig. 3 showing a portion of the .operating mechanism of the machine.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 8 showingthe reverse side of part of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line vm-vm of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a' perspective view of a portion of the bag feeding mechanism employed in the machine.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line X-X of Fig. 8.

, Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic view of the mechanism by means of which the corn popped by the machine is supplied with seasoning as it is delivered to the consumer.

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuit employed in illuminating the machine, heating the popper head and energizing the motor which drives the operating mechanism.

Fig. 13 is a front elevation of the reduction drive illustrated in Figs.- 2 and 3.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the clutch mechanism illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to 15 Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the machine is shown as enclosed in a casing which comprises a base member I supporting vertically extending front and rear walls 2 and 3, respectively, and side walls 4 and 5. A top 8 supported on the upper edges of the walls encloses the upper end of the casing and is provided with a screened vent opening 'I to permit the escape of hot gases resulting from the operation of the machine. Within the casing are provided a corn popper generally shown at 8;- a bin 9 for the storage of unpopped corn; means for delivering corn from the bin 9 to the popper 8; means for heating and agitating the corn in the popper and causing it to be delivered after it has been popped, as well as means for providing the purchaser with a bag to receive the corn; means for applying seasoning to the corn; and other means all to be more specifically referred to as the description of the machine proceeds.

For the sake of clearness of the description, the following specification will be dividedlnto parts, each part pertaining to one unit of the machine as nearly as possible. However, as all of the units are driven bya single motor and as several of the units receive their motions or parts of their mo"- tions from a main drive shaft carrying cams, clutches and the like to initiate the several movements, a description of this shaft together with. the means for rotating it at a reduced speed relative to the motor will first be set forth.

The drive mechanism L with a gear i3 at one end through which a. drive is, imparted to it bymeans of a motor l4, (see Fig. 2) disposed behind the frames ili'and ll adjacent the rear wall 3 of the casing. The shaft I2 is driven at a suitably reduced rate of speed through the following reduction drive.

A belt l3 ridingover the motor pulley l3 drives a large pulley I! to the hub of which is secured a pinion l3. The pinion l3 meshes with a spur gear l9 which carries a pinion 20 meshing with a spur 2| freely rotatable on a stub shaft 22 whichsupports the pulley I1. The latter spur gear 2| also carries a pinion 23 which meshes with the said Com popping mechanism The corn popping mechanism, which is best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, comprises a popper head composed of a bottom plate formed of a heater unit 24 preferably containing an electrical resistance element, such as illustrated at 23 in Fig. 5, embedded in suitable dielectric material and covered bya metallic heat conducting plate 23. The side walls of the popper head are shown at 21 as frusto-conical in shape and are preferably formed of a transparent heat resisting material such, for example, as Pyrex. These side walls are secured to the bottom 24 by a flanged ring 23 which may be clamped in position by perforated ears and a screw, as illustrated at. 29 in Fig. 5.

The top consists of a floating cover member 30 having a generally convex bottom wall 3i and upwardly flanged side walls 32 and mounted for vertical movement in a manner and for a purpose that will hereinafter be more fullyset forth.

The popper head is supported by a central hearing member 33 carried by a frame 34. which frame is pivotally mounted on a hollow shaft 33 journaled in a bearing 35 on the main frame l0. Unpopped corn is fed to the interior of the popper head by being poured'upon the convex portion 3| of the cover member 30, from which position it gravitates through spaced perforations 31 formed at the junction of the bottom 3i and the side walls- 32. 4

Upon entering the popper head, the corn rests on the upper surface of the heating unit 24 and in order to agitate the corn thereon and prevent its remaining stationary on the heating unit before and during the popping action caused by the heat, I provide an agitator which consists ofgenerally radially extending blades 38 supported by a central hub 39 fixed to a hollow spindle 40 extending downwardly through the bearing member 33 and provided at its lower end with a bevel gear 4|.

The blades 33 are caused to revolve rapidly over the top surface of the heater unit 24 after the corn has been deposited in the popper head, and during the entire cycle. of operation of the machine, by meshing of the bevel gear 4| with a bevel gear 42 on a spindle 43 journaled in the-lowermost end of the frame 34 and provided at its outer end with a gear 44. This gear 44 is driven by a gear 45 meshing with it and meshing also with the gear l9. By virtue of the pivotal mounting of the popper head and its supporting framework, which comprises the bearing 33 and shaft 35, the popper head is permitted to rock forwardly for the purpose of discharging its contents at a proper time and consequently the gear 44, which drives the agitator blades 33 within the popper head and which is carried by the 'ocking frame 34, occasionally moves through an arcuate path. For th s reason the main frame I0 is provided with an arcuate slot 43 to accommodate the movement of the shaft supporting the gear 44 and in order that the operation of the agitators 33 will not be discontinued during the-forward rocking movement of the popper head, the gear 43 intermediate the gears 44 and lilis carried by pivoted links 41 and 43, the link 41 being pivoted at one end for swinging movement about the axis of the gear 44, the link 43 being pivoted for swinging movement at one end about the axis of the gear l9 or on the main shaft l2, and the opposite ends of both the links 41 and 43 being connected for pivotal movement with relation to each other and coaxially with the gear 43. This permits the gear 44 to swing within the limits of the arcuate slot 43 while being continuously in mesh with the gears 43 and I3.

The machine is put into operation by coin controlled mechanism to be set forth in detail hereinafter which causes energization of the heating unit in the popper head and which starts the motor l4 to drive the main shaft l2 and to cause operation of the agitator blades 33 through the mechanism just described. Unpopped corn is automatically deposited in the popper head by means also to be described in detail and when the corn has been popped, the popper head is tilted forwardly into the discharge position illustrated in Figs. 1, 4 and 5.

The mechanism for imparting this tilting movement to the popper head is best illustrated in Fig. 8 wherein an arm 49, which is pivoted to a shaft 30 extending between the frames i3 and H adjacent the lower ends thereof, is shown as connected at its upper end by a link it with the frame 34 which supports the popper head, this connection being made by engagement with the hearing which supports the spindle 43, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Upon observing Fig. 8, it will appear that upon swinging movement of the arm 49 about its pivotalconnection with the shaft 30, the popper head may be caused to move from its normal vertical position to its forwardly tilted discharge position,

The swinging movement of the arm 49 is imparted to the same by means of a cam groove 32 in a cam disc 53- rotatable upon the main shaft 1 2 and capable of being clutched to the main shaft to rotate therewith. A roller 34 on the arm 49 is received by the cam groove 32 so that rotation of the cam disc 33 with the shaft I2 imparts swinging movement to the arm 49 to move the popper head from its vertical to its tilted position or vice versa.

When the machine is at rest, the popper head is in its tilted or discharge position and the cam disc 33 is clutched to the shaft i2 by the clutch mechanism generally illustrated at 33 in Figs; 3 and 14. This clutch comprises a collar 33 secured to the shaft l2 and provided with a perforated clutch plate 51. The cam disc 33 is normally driven by the clutch plate 31, which rotates with the shaft l2, by means of a springpressed clutch dog 58 provided with a squared head 59, which head 59 has an inclined surface When the operation of the machine is started,

the cam disc begins to revolve with the main shaft i2 due to its clutched engagement therewith and imparts swinging movement to the arm 43 to the extent that the popper head is moved to a vertical position. At this time a weighted lever 60, (see Figs. 6 and 14) pivoted on a stud shaft 6| and provided with a cam surface 62 causes release of the clutch mechanism so that the cam disc 63 is permitted to stop and the popper head remain in its vertical position. This release of the cluteh mechanism is effected by the squared head 69 of the clutch dog 58 coming into contact with the cam surface 62 so that its inclined edge rides upon said projection and causes withdrawal of the clutch dogfrom the clutch plate 51. As soon as the popper" head reaches its vertical position, the corn to be popped is deposited in it and the agitator blades 38 agitate the corn during the time that it is being brought to popping temperature by the heating unit 24. 1

As longas the weighted lever 60 remains in its lowermost position, underlying the headof the clutch dog, the cam disc 53 remains stationary and the popper head continues operation in its vertical position. When the corn is popped, the popper head must be tilted forwardly to discharge its contents. This is accomplished byraising the weighted lever 60 out of engagement with the clutch dog, thereby permitting the dog to move into one of the perforations of the clutch plate 61 so that the cam disc 53 will rotate with the shaft l2 to swing the arm 49 and move the popper head to its discharge position.

The means for raising the weighted lever 60 out of engagement with the clutch dog are most clearly illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 10. In Fig. 5 a generally Y-shaped trip lever 63 is shown as pivoted on a shaft 64 which extends transversely between the frames I0 and II. At the lowermost point this lever is provided with a trip pin 65 extending through the lever and fitted at oneend with a roller 66. A tension spring 6'! between the lever 63 and a transverse bar 68 adjacent the base member I normally tends to swing the lever 63 upwardly to cause the pin 65 to engage and lift the weighted'lever 60. A pivoted latch. 69 carried by the shaft 6| and under tension of a spring 10 engages a pawl H to retain the lever 63 against upward swinging movement. A triangular cam 12 rotatable with the main shaft l2 intermittently engages the roller 66, causing the lever 63 to swing downwardly upon each such engagement to release the engagement of thelatch 69 with the pawl ll. However, as the latch 69 is spring-pressed against the pawl, it follows it in its downward movement and the release is not effected except in the event that the corn in the popper head has been completely popped, in which event a tension is put on the latch 69 to raise it to permit upward swinging movement of the lever 63 after it has been released by the projection on the rotating triangular cam 12.

Reference will again be made to the popper head to describe the means for effecting release of the latch 69. As stated above, the cover member 30 of the popper head is mounted for floating movement in a vertical direction. It is centrally perforated to receive a stem 13, which stem extends downwardly through the hollow spindle 40 and is provided at its upper end with a collar 14 forming a seat for the upper end of a light spring 15 which bears against the cover member at its lower end normally to retain it in' its lowermost position. A short hollow shaft 16 surrounds the stem 13 directly beneath the cover member and is secured to the cover memher. This shaft aligns with the upper end of the .hollow spindle l0 and their abutting ends are l0 opposite end with a weight 18 normally urging the arcuate end I1 upwardly.

When the corn in the popper head, the quantity of which has been carefully measured, is nearly all popped, its increased volume caused 16 by expansion due to popping causes it to bear upwardly against the under side of the cover member 30. This upward pressure compresses the spring 15 and raises the stem 13 until a collar 19 at its lowermost end engages with the lower side of the arcuate lever 11, thus tending to raise this end of the lever and lower the weighted end 18. The weighted end of the lever is connected by a link 80 with the. latch 69 so that as soon as the corn is popped and places this tension on the arcuate lever 11, the latch 69 is placed under pressure tending to relieve it from its engagement with the pawl II. Thus, the next time that one of the projections on the triangular cam 12 engages the roller 66 and lowers the lever 63, the latch 69 is swung upwardly and when the lever 63 is released by the projection on the cam 12, it files upwardly under the tension of its spring 61 and the pin 65 engages the under side of the weighted lever 60, thus releasing the clutch dog 58 which returns to its clutching position causing the cam disc 53 to rotate with the shaft l2 and causing the popper head to be tipped forwardly to its discharge position under influence of the lever 49.

The movement of the popper head to its discharge position is brought about as described above by raising of the cover member relative to the popper head. It is possible that during the discharge of the popped com, a pieceof corn may become lodged between the popper head and the cover member, thus preventing the cover member from being returned to its normal position under influence of the spring 15. If this were to occur, it is obvious that as longas the cover member was held in its raised position, the machine would fail to operate and I have, therefore, provided means for positively lower ing the cover member to its normal position relative to the popper head as the popper head returns to its vertical position. This is effected by engagement of the collar 19 with the under side of the arcuate slotted lever 11 (see Fig. 5), which engagement will cause the stem I3 to be drawn downwardly with suflicient force to replace the cover member regardless of the piece of corn lodged beneath it, which will be crushed or sheared by the cover member and thus have no tendency to interfere with the proper operation of the machine. In order to prevent the arcuate lever 1-1 from swinging upwardly due to engagement of the collar I9 on its lower surface, I provide a latch 'l'l pivoted to the shaft 50 and urged by a spring ll into latching engagement with the outer end of the lever 11. When the popper head is in its vertical position, the frame 34, which supports it for rocking movementengages the upper end of the latch Il to release it from engagement with the lever 11. L f

The foregoing description illustrates the manner in which the popper head is tilted to discharge its contents when a'measured amount of corn has all or practically allbeen popped. It

6 is apparent, however, that if less than the proper 10 the machine would continue to operate indefinitely.

In order to prevent such accidental continuous operation of the machine, I have provided emergency tripping mechanism to cause the popper 16 head to discharge its contents after a perdetermined period of time regardless of whether the corn has been popped. For description of this mechanism particular reference will be made to Figs. 6 and '7. The shaft 8| carries a. ratchet wheel 8| freelyrotatable thereon. A pin 82 is fixed to the ratchet wheel 8| in a position to engage the under side of the weighted lever 88 when the ratchet wheel is rotated in-a counter clockwise direction'as viewed in Fig. '1. A pawl 88 is piv- 25 oted to the upper end of a bell crank 84 also mounted on the shaft 6|. The lower end of this bell crank 84 is provided with a roller 85 which occupies a position to be engaged by a cam ,88, which cam is formed integrally with and pro- 30 iectsfrom an edge of the perforated clutch plate 51. As the main shaft I2 rotates,'the eam 86 revolves about it and intermittently engages the roller 85 to rock the bell crank 84, thereby causing the pawl 88 to engage and rotate the ratchet 35 wheel 8|. A spring 81 opposes this rotation of the ratchet wheel 8| and a second pawl 88 is spring-pressed into engagement with the ratchet wheel to retain it in its advanced position each time that it is moved by the pawl 88. Thus, for 40 each rotation of themain shaft I2 carrying the cam 88, the ratchet wheel 8| is advanced one tooth, thus bringing the pin 82 carried by the ratchet wheel closer to its position of engagement with the under side of the weighted lever 68.

.45 The speed of the main shaft I2 and the number of teeth in the ratchet wheel are such that in a predetermined period of time, preferably slightly longer than would be required for the complete popping of a normal charge of corn-in the pop- W per head, the pin 82 has'been advanced until it engages and lifts the weighted lever 88, thus causing the cam disc 58 to be clutched to the shaft in a manner hereinbefore described to effect movement of the pepper head to its discharge position.

As the pepper head moves to its discharge position, the lowermost end of the rocker' frame 84, upon which it is supported, engages the pawl 88 as illustrated in Fig. '7, lifting it away from the 60 ratchet wheel 8| and also causing a projection 88 to engage the pawl 88 to lift it free of the ratchet wheel. Being thus released, the ratchet wheel returns to its initial position under tension of the spring 81 and a pin 88 on the ratchet wheel engages the top of the weighted lever 88, bringing the ratchet wheel to a stop and again moving the lever into position to engage the clutch dog 58 upon the next cycle of operation of the machine.

70 The weighted lever 68 is retained against accidental upward swinging movement by a long latch arm 8| pivoted on the shaft 64 and bearing downwardly under spring pressure against a projection 82 formed on one side of the weighted Ii lever. when the machine begins to operate and after the ratchet wheel II has been rotated several teeth, the pin 88 thereon engages the safety arm 8| and lifts it free of .the projection 82.

The popper head is provided with a gate in the forward portion of its frusto-conical wall 21 5 adapted to open when the pepper head is swung to its discharge position so that the popped corn will be free to pass through a chute 88 into a bag 84 positioned in a recess 85 formed in the front wall of the casing. This gate may be formed 1 of metal or formed, as shown, of a section 88 cut from the transparent wall 21 and supported on a metal back 81, which back has upturned arms 88 at its outer edges pivoted on a pintle 88 supported by spaced brackets I88 formed at oppositesides of the gateway and suitably secured to the flanged ring 28 which forms a part of the popper head. When the popper head is tilted to its discharge position, this gate swings open by means of a spring 88' illustrated in Fig. 5 and when the popper head resumes its vertical position, the gate is closed by an arm I8I and is maintained closed by said arm which is pivoted at I82 and engageable with the outer lower edge of the gate and pressed thereagainst by a bar I88 extending between the upper ends of the members 88. A bracket I84 is secured within the chute 88 in a position to engage the bar 88 and positively open the gate in the event that it fails to open under influence of the spring 88Fwhen the popper head moves to its tilted position.

Corn ,feed mechanism When the machine is placed in operation, the pepper head, which has been left in its tilted discharge position, is first returned to its vertical position and then ameasured quantity of corn to be popped is deposited upon the cover member 88 on the convex portion 8| thereof and passes through the perforations 81 to fall upon the heat er unit 24.

The fresh corn is stored in the bin 8 built against the back wall of the casing as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, which bin is preferably formed with glass walls so that the com may be viewed 5 from the exterior of the casing. The bottom of the bin 8 is generally V-shaped to cause the com therein to gravitate centrally, and the bin is provided with spaced partitions I85 and I 88 dividing it into three compartments. The partitions I85 and I88 terminate short of the bottom of the bin so that the outer compartments may be filled with corn while the inner compartment will receive corn approximately to the level of the bottom edges of the partitions I85 and I86.

Acorn scoop I81 is actuated at the proper time to dip corn from the central compartment of the bin 8, raise it and pour it into the pepper head.

The corn scoop is pivoted as at I88 to the end of a connecting rod I88 which is guided for vertical reciprocal motion through a bracket II8, this motion being imparted to the connecting rod through a crank link III. The crank link II is pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 2 and is slotted as at 8 to receive a crank pin I I4 car- 5 ried by a crank disc H5. The crank disc H5 is mounted on the main shaft I2 in a manner similar to that in which the cam disc 58 is mounted and is adapted to be clutched to the shaft I2 for rotation therewith at the proper time by means of 7 a dog 6 spring-pressed into spaced perforations H1 in a clutch plate, which plate is the member forming the triangular cam 12 above referred to.

, The clutch dog H6 is provided with a squared head II 8 identical with the head 58 on the cam disc clutch and engageable by an arm 'II8 (see Fig. 5) to withdraw the clutch dog from the perforations in the member 12.

The clutchrelease arm H8 is fixed to the shaft 33 and urged toward its clutch releasing position by. a spring I28. A finger I2I (see Figs. 8 and 6) also fixed to the shaft 58 is engaged by the head 53 of the .clutch dog 58 when the machine is placed in operation and swung to rotate the shaft 38 sufficiently to move the arm H9 out of engagement with the clutch dog head H8.

Thus, when the machine begins to operate, the crank disc H5 is clutched to the shaft I2 and rotates therewith to oscillate the crank link III to first lower and then raise the connecting rod I88 so that the rearmost end of the scoop I31 will be dipped into the corn in the central compartment of the bin 9. This end of the scoopis provided with the short wall I22, the height of which is sufilcient to cause the scoop to retain a desired quantity of com, the extra corn spilling over the edge of the wall I22 as the scoop is raised. The bottom of the scoop I01 slides over a sill I23 which forms the top edge of the front wall of the center compartment of the corn bin so that as the scoop is lowered, it assumes a substantially vertical position and as -it is raised, it pivots around the point I08 under gravity until it slopes forwardly to deposit the corn picked up on the lower end of its stroke into the popper head. A pin I 81 is provided to engage the scoop during its upward movement to force it to discharge its contents in the event that it should become stuck and fail to pivot properly under its own weight. The downward movement of the corn scoop into the bin is. relatively slow due to the position of the crank pin H4 in the slot H3 of the crank link III and its upward movement is accordingly comparatively rapid.

After the corn has been deposited in the popper head, the scoop is returned to its starting position as illustrated in Fig. 1 and there remains at rest during the popping and discharge operations due to the fact that upon the completion of one cycle of operation of the crank disc H5, the arm H9 engages with the head H8 of the clutch dog H6 to pull the dog free of its engagement with the clutch member 12, thus permitting the crank disc to remain at rest notwithstanding the continued rotation of the main shaft I2.

Bag feed As stated above, a bag is ,placed for the reception of the popped corn as it is discharged from the popper head.- This bagis automatically delivered to the person operating the machine from a supply of bags indicated at I24 in a compartment I25 provided for this purpose in the lower right-hand portion of the casing. The bag compartment I25 comprises a sloping bottom wall I28 and an inclined front wall I21 extending from the bottom wall upwardly and terminating at a bag delivery slot I28 formed in the front wall 2 of the casing.

As the machine begins to operate, a bag is delivered from the supply I24 to a position with an edge thereof extending through the slot I28 where it may be grasped and removed by the person b rating the machine, who then opens it and pfa ces it beneath the delivery chute 93 to receive the popped corn. 7

The means for delivering the bag through the slot I28 is illustrated in Figs. l and 3, Refen'ing to these figures, a rigid bar I29 is shown as secured to a bracket I38 which is formed integrally with the tilting frame 34 which supports the popable for frictionally engaging the topmost bag of the supply I24 and also supports a forwardly extending finger I35 which assists in the ejection of a bag in a manner that will presently appear.

It will be recalled that when the machine is placed into operation, the first movements include the swinging of the popper head from its discharge position to its vertical position; Because of this movement, the bar I29, which supports the bag feeding mechanism, swings the latter mechanism forwardly to the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 1. During this forward swing-- ing movement, the friction block I34 is resting on the'topmost bag in the supply I24 and slides the same forwardly. The forward edge of this bag begins to ride up the inclined front wall I21 of the bag compartment and as the friction foot I33 approaches the front wall, .the finger I35 engages the bag and urges it up the inclined front wall I21 until it projects through the slot I28 so that it may be removed therefrom by the operator, opened and placed beneath the chute 33 to receive the popped com. I

'After the bag has been delivered through the slot I28, the movement of the corn feeding mechanism described above is employed to aid in the return of the bag feeder to its original position. Secured to the connectingro'd I09 of the corn feeder is a bracket I36. The means for securing the bracket to the connecting rod as ,shown in Fig. 3 is a block I 36 drilled for the reception of both members which may be secured in a properly adjusted position therein by means of set screws such as illustrated at I36". The bracket I38 supports a finger I31 in a position aligning with the space between the vertical rods I32 of the bag feeder.

During the time that the bag is being delivered, the corn feeder mechanism has advanced to its lowermost position so that the finger ',l31 lies between the vertical rods I32. Upon upward movement of the corn feeding mechanism, the finger I31 engages a crossbar I38 supPOrted by and extending between the uppermost ends of the parallel rods I32, thus raising said rods which are free to slide upwardly through the tubular guides I3I and raising the friction foot I33 out of contact pose of. safety, however, I have pivoted the finger I31 as at I31 for upward swinging movement only so that in the event of jamming of the bag feeding mechanism, which might result in the finger striking the top of the'bar I38, it would pass freely thereover on its downward stroke without causing breakage or bending of the asso-- I25. when the bag feeder is raised by the finger I51, this latch slides upwardly through the perforation I45 and, under tension of'a spring I45 arranged at its lower end. engages with the bar I25 to retain the friction foot in its elevated position. 1

The bag feeding mechanism remains at rest throughout the remainder of the operating cycle of the machine until the popper head has again tilted to its discharge position when the bag feeder, which is still held out of contact with the bags by the latch I4 I is swung to assume the angle illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1. As the a bag feeder is swung to this position, a pin I44 secured to and extending outwardly from the side wall of the bag'compartment I engages the latch bar I39 to release engagement of the. latch I therewith and permit the friction foot I- to drop downwardly. This downward movement ,f

is, however, insufficient to contact the bag supply" as the latch I4I engages the pin I44 and retains the bag feeder in a slightly elevated position until the machine is started, at which time the initial forward swinging movement of the bag feeder releases the latch I from the pin I44 and permits the friction foot I33 to engage the bags.

Seasoning mechanism In order to season popped corn to enhance its taste, I have provided means for automatically mixing granulated and liquid seasoning, such for example, as salt and butter with the corn'after it container for salt or' other granular condiment and 11.

is illustrated at I45 in Fig. 1 and a similar container I45 for a liquid seasoning, such as butter, is illustrated in Fig. 2. A pump is provided for instituting pressure in the containers I45 and I45 and automatically operated valves control the pressure to cause the seasoning to be injected into the popped corn as it falls into the bag.

These means are illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 A pump I41 is secured to the forward edge of the main frame III. The pump I41 contains a conventional vertically reciprocable plunger I48 which is reciprocated continuously by means of a plunger rod I45 connected with a walking beam I50 which is rocked by a connecting rod I5I driven by a crank pin I52 fixed to the gear I9 on the continuously rotating mainshaft I2. The pump I41 supplies air to the butter container through a tubing I53. The pressure within the container I45 is maintained below a predetermined maximum by a suitable relief valve I54 and this pressure is sufficient to force the butter,- which it should be understood is in a liquid form, through a return line I55 which communicates with a valve I55 which. is positioned above the pump. The valve I 55 is of the spring closed poppet type and may be opened by pressure on the upper end of its stem. Opening of the valve I55 permits butter to escape through a delivery line I51 which terminates at a point within the delivery chute 53 as illustrated in Fi 5.

Air pressure from the pump is directed to the interior of the salt container I45 through a line I55 which is controlled by a valve I55 substantially identical in construction with the valve I55. A salt delivery line I55 forms a communication between the salt container and the chute 53 terminating in the chute as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Thus, when the valves I55 and I59 are open, both butter and salt or whatever seasoning may have been'chosen are'deliveredto the discharge 'ing materials. In order to operate the seasoning valves automatically, I provide a lever I53 pivotally mounted on a bracket I 54 extending upwardly from the main frame I II. A cross arm I55 on the end of the lever I55 is arranged 'to overlie the tdps of the valves I55 and I55 and is provided with adjusting screws such as indicated at I55, one for each of the valves. The opposite end of the lever 153 is generally arcuate in shape and is provided on its under surface with a series of projections or rounded teeth I51. The lever I53 is rocked to cause theadiusting screws I55 to engage and open the valves by means of a cam I58 which is fixed to the hollow shaft 35 which supports the'popper head. Thus, when the popper head tilts forwardly to discharge its contents through the chute 93, the cam I55 rides over the teeth I51 to rock the lever I53 and open the seasoning valves several times in rapid succession. The actual point of the cam I55 which contacts the teeth I51 is in the form of a spring-pressed pawl I55 which, upon return movement of the cam, rides over the teeth I51 without moving the lever I53 as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein the pawl I59 is shown as pivoted at I15 and pressed by' a spring "I into engagement with a stop member I12.

Electrical circuit The motor is energized and the heating unit in the popper head is energized by an electric circuit diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 12, which circuit also includes lamps for illuminating the interior of the. casing so that the working parts of the machine may clearly be observed during its operation.

A main circuit I13 supplies electrical energy to the motor I4 and to the heating element 25, which is preferably divided into two or more sections, as illustrated, and to a small auxiliary lamp I14 which serves to indicate that the motor and heating unit have been energized. The motor and heating unit and lamp. I14 are all controlled by a main switch generally indicated at I15, which switch is preferably of themercury type and which is adapted to be closed by coin actuated mechanism presently to be described.

The heating element, as illustrated in Fig. 12, consists of two separately wired sections, one of which may be cut out of the circuit by means of a switch I15 opened by a thermostatic element I11 to eiIect automatic control of the heat in the popper head. Under normal conditions the switch I15 will be closed so that when the machine is placed into operation, one section only of the heating element will be energized and the popper head will be brought to the desired temperature 4 2,084,484 rapidly. When this temperature is reached, heat other section and prevents a sudden drop in temperature when the second section is cut into thecircuit. V

A lamp I18 may be connected directly with the circuit I 13 and burn continuously within the easing to. illuminate. the entire machine and thus render it more attractive to a prospective pur-y chaser of popcorn.

The construction of the switch I18 and ther mostatic element I11 that. I have chosen to'em ploy is best illustrated in Figs. .3 and 4. The switch I16is of the mercury type comprising a glass capsule centrally pivoted on a pin I18 supported on a vertically extending post I88.

The thermostatic element I11 is in the form of a helical bi-metallic strip arranged at the top of the post I88 and having its outer free 'end engageable with a lever I8I pivoted at I82 so that its lowermost end, which is bent at right angles to engage a crank I83 on the switch support will, upon expansion andcontraction of the element I11, swing the switch off and on upon variations in the temperature radiating from the heater unit of the popper head.

The wiring forming the circuits illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 11 may be led throughout the casing in any-suitable manner but I prefer that the wires leading to the heating unit of the popper head be encased in a suitable insulating member and passed through the hollow shaft 35, as illustrated in Fig. 3, so that they will not be unduly twisted or stretched by the tilting motion of the popper head.

The main switch I15 is mounted at the upper rear portion of the supporting frame I8 as illustrated in Fig. 2 and is actuatedto close the circuit, energizing the motor and heating unit upon deposit of a coin in the machine.

Coin controlled starting mechanism The operation of the machine is controlled by the main switch I15. This switch, as illustrated inFig. 2, is mounted rearwardly of the frame I8 and is of the type which consists of a glass capsule containing suificient mercury to form a contact between two terminals extending to within the capsule when the switch is in a horizontal position and adapted to break the circuit between these two terminals when the switch is tilted to the position illustrated in Fig. 2.. The switch is normally urged toward a circuit closing position by a spring I84 which tends to pivot it on its supporting pin, which pin extends through the frame I8 and is bent at its opposite end to form a crank I as illustrated in Fig. 8. A trigger I88 secured to arotatable shaft I81 engages the crank I85 to retain the switch in its open position I The movement-of the shaft I 81 necessary to close the circuit and cause the machine to operate is derived from a coin of the proper denomination being placed in the machine. :The shaft I81 extends 'transversely'of the machine, being Journaled in-the main frames I8 and II, and terminates at its opposite end in a finger I88 disposed at right angles to the axis of the shaft proper and arranged in alignment with the open,

end of a coin chute I88 which is inclined to'form communication with a coin slot I8I formed in the upper portion of the front wall'of the machine. A coin of the denomination selected, deposited in the 'slot'l9l, slides rapidly through the chute I28, strikes the finger I89, thus imparting 'sufiicient rotation to the shaft I81 to trip the trigger I88 and energize the motor and heating unit to start the operation of the machine.

I chutes I98 and I82 are divided by narrow flanges I98, as illustrated in Fig. 3, so that a coin ofthe selected denomination will pass down the chute I98 while a smaller coin will not be supported in the'chute I98 but will fall through to the chute I92 andpass outwardly through the lower end thereof without engaging the finger I 88 to operate the machine. Thus, for example, if the machine is to be operated with a five-cent piece, a

penny or any spurious coin that is only slightly .smaller in diameter than a five-cent piece wil fail to place the machine in operation.

After the coin has passed through the chute I 98' and engaged the finger I88, it falls into a I88 in one direction, the cradle I94 will be tilted to deposit the coin into a receptacle 288. Upon rotation of the shaft I98 in the opposite direction, the coin will be deposited in a funnel 28I in which it will pass to a chute 282 for returning it to'a coin return recess 283 formed in the lower portion of the front face of the machine. This return of the coin to the purchaser being effective upon failure of the machine to operate properly and deliver a full bag of popped corn.

In order to prevent the passage of a coin through either of the chutes I88 and I82 during the time that the machine is operating, I provide a finger 284, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, secured to andextending upwardly from the bar I28, which bar moves upon tilting of the popper head. When the machine is at rest, the popper head is in its forward tilted position and the finger 284 does not obstruct passage of coins through the chutes I98 and I82. However, when the machine operates and the popper head moves to its vertical position,- the finger 284 moves into the chutes I88 and I92, the bottom wallthereo-f being slotted for its reception, and obstructs any coin that is inserted through the slot I8I. Whatever coin or coins may be inserted in the slot at the improper time and obstructed-by the finger 284 are released when the popper head again moves to discharge its contents. The coins then pass into the cradle I94 which then deposits them into the coin return chute. v

The mechanism for rocking the cradle I84 through the shaft I89 is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the shaft I98 is shown as carrying a crank disc 299 provided with a crank pin 294. Clockwise rotation of the crank disk 20! moves the shaft III to rock the cradle I 94 through means of the bevel gears I 90 and I99 to deposit the coin in the receptacle 209. A spring 291 normally resists clockwise movement of the disc 209. However, when the corn in the popper head is completely popped, it will be recalled that the Y- shaped trip lever 99 swings about its supporting shaft 94 to bring into operation the mechanism that clutches the cam disc 03 .to the main shaft. Upon this movement of the trip lever 09 an arm 209 thereof strikes the crank pin 2" on the disc 205 to rotate the cradle actuating shaft I99 and cause the coin to be deposited in the receptacle just prior to the delivery of the popped corn' to the purchaser.

After the corn has been discharged, the machine is brought to rest 'by breaking the circuit through the switch I15. The mechanism for returning the switch I15 to its circuit breaking position is illustrated in Fig. 8. This mechanism includes a lever 209 pivotally mounted on the shaft 9| and adapted upon upward swinging movement to engage the crank I and lift it to a'position where the switch I15 will break the circuit, in which position the crank ,will be retained by thetrigger I96.

In order to actuate the lever 209 at the proper time, I have provided a lever 2 I 0 centrally pivoted on the shaft 6i and having a roller 2I I at one end engageable by a cam 2I2 carried peripherally on the cam disc 53. Engagement of the cam 2I2 with the roller 2, which occurs; immediately after the corn has been discharged from the popper head, swings the opposite end of the lever 2 I 0 downwardly. This end of the lever carries a plate 2I3 pivoted to the lever at its lower end by a pin 2. A spring 2I5 normally urges the lever and plate upwardly. when the lever 2 I0 is swung downwardly by the cam 2I2, the .plate 2I3 is drawn downwardly and this plate is provided with a slot 2I9 embracing a pin 2" on the lever 209. The upper end of the slot 2I6 is provided with an offset 2I8 so that as the plate moves downwardly, the offset 2I8 registers with the pin 2II and the pin is received by the offset due to the pressure of a small spring 2I9 (see Fig. 10)

which causes the plate to swing slightly about its pivotal support. When the cam 2I2 has passed the roller 2, the lever 2I0 is drawn upwardly by the spring 2 I5 and through engagement of the pin 2II with the offset 2I8, the lever 209 is raised to move the switch to a position breaking the circuit and terminating the operation of the machine.

The plate 2I3 is also provided with a slot 220 which embraces the shaft I99 and has an edge engageable with the shaft and which edge is so inclined that upon the final upward swinging movement of the lever 2I0, the plate will be swung to a position where the pin 2II will be released by the offset 2I9 and the lever 209 will be free to fall to its original position. g

Just prior to the stopping of the machine, the coin cradle is rocked so-that any coin that happens to be in it will be deposited in the coin return chute. This is eifected by the lever 2 I0 which is provided with a finger 22l. which, upon downward movement of the lever 2I0, engages a pin 222 carried by the disc 205 opposite the position of the pin 206 on the same disc. An additional pin 223 also carried by the disc 205 is engageable with the upper surface of the finger 22I to limit the rocking movement of the cradle.

which puts the machine in operation, remains in the cradle I94 until the corn is popped and the P pper head is ready to discharge its contents.

At this time the coin cradle is rocked to.deposit the coin in the coin receptacle 200. If the charge of corn in the popperihead is insufficient to provide a full bag'of popped corn to the purchaser, the proper head will not be moved forward by the usual mechanism which includes the Y-shaped lever 99 and, "consequently, this lever will not posited in the coin receptacle and the final rockingmovement of the cradle toward the coin return chute will be without result but if the com has not been fully popped, the coin will have remained in the cradle and will be returned to the customer.

. Incidentally, any coin that has been deposited in the chute I during the time that the machine was-operating will have been retained midway between the ends of the chute by the finger 204, but as the popper head tilts forwardly to discharge its contents prior to the final rocking movement of the coin cradle I94, any such inadvertently inserted coins will be released to the cradle I94 and returned to the customer as the machine is coming to rest.

A conventional counter mechanism such as ina crank 226 and a resilient link in .the form of a coil spring 221 so that upon each operation of the shaft I99 to rock the coincradle in a direction to deposit its coin in the coin receptacle, the

counter will be actuated.- In this manner the number of times that the machine has been successfully operated will appear on thefdials of the counter mechanism indicating the number of coins that should have been deposited in the coin receptacle. Y

The front and side walls of the casing are preferably of glass to disclose the moving parts of the machine and thus provide an interesting and entertaining spectacle which plays an important part in inducing observers to make a purchase.

In order to obtaina bag of freshly popped and seasoned com the purchaser has only to deposit a coin in the slot and position the bag which is ejected by the machine below the discharge chute.

The entire operation of the machine which includes starting, feeding corn to the popper, ejecting a. bag, popping the corn, discharging the popped com, seasoning the discharging'corn and returning the coin in the event of failure of the corn to pop properly is automatic.

While I have shown and described my inven- I 1. In. a machine for popping com, a popper head including means for heating and agitating a charge of com to be popped, means controlled by expansion of the corn as it pops for effecting discharge of the corn from the poppgr head,

means for discharging the corn from the popper head automatically upon failure of the corn to actuate the discharge means within a predetermined period of time, coin-controlled means for starting the machine, and means within the machine to return the coin employed for starting the machine in the event of failure of the corn to actuate the discharge means.

2. In a machine for popping com, a heated popper head in which the corn is popped, a cover for said popper head mounted for vertical movement relative thereto, means for discharging corn from the popper head, means effective upon raising of said cover by the expansion of the popping corn to actuate said discharging means, and means for agitating said cover during the popping oi the corn to prevent lodging of a piece of corn between the cover and the popper head.

3. In a corn popping machine, a popper head movable from a popping position to a discharge position, means for feeding corn to .the popper head in its popping position, a slotted receptacle for a supply of bags, a bag ejecting member engageable with a bag in said supply to move it through said slot upon movement of the popper head to its popping position, means operable by said feeding means to raise the bag ejecting memseasoning, a container for granular seasoning, 9.

pump for creating a source oi compressed air, conduits connecting said pump and said containers and leading to said discharge chute, valves controlling flow through said conduits, and means operable upon discharging oi the corn for opening said valves to spray the corn with liquid and granular seasoning as it falls through the chute.--

5. In a machine for popping corn, means for heating and agitating corn to be popped, an electric circuit for energizing said heating and agitating means, a switch controlling said circuit, a coin chute, means actuated by a coin passing through said chute for closing said switch, a coin receptacle, a coin return chute, and means eflective upon the delivery of a full charge of popped corn by the machine to direct the coin to the receptacle, and effective upon failure of a full charge being delivered to direct the coin to the coin return chute.

6. In a machine for popping corn, means for heating and agitating corn to be popped, means for energizing the heating and agitating means, control means, means actuated by insertion of a coin in the machine for operating said control means, a coin receptacle, a coin return chute, and means eflective upon the delivery of a full charge of popped corn by the machine to direct the coin to the receptacle and eflective upon failure oi! a full charge being delivered to direct the coin to the coin return chute.

7. In an automatic corn popping machine, a popper head mounted for rocking movement to and from a discharge position and normally disposed in its discharge position, means effective upon operation of the machine to move the popper head away from its discharge position, a bag supply, and means controlled by the popper head to deliver a bag from said supply.

8. In an automatic corn popping machine, a popper head mounted for rocking movement to and from a discharge position and normally disposed in its discharge position, a bag supply, and an arm supported for movement with the popper head and having a portion engaging the topmost bag oi said supply to deliver the same from the closed upon rocking movement of the popper head respectively to and from its discharge position.

JOHN F. PAGENDARM. 

